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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Commun.

Sec. Advertising and Marketing Communication

Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2025.1662524

This article is part of the Research TopicIncluding the Audience in Integrated Marketing Communication and Branding: Social Media, Gaming, and BeyondView all 7 articles

Muketing: The Fusion of Mutelu and Marketing in E-Commerce — Trends in Thailand's Faith Economy

Provisionally accepted
Pongsakorn  LimnaPongsakorn Limna1*Yarnaphat  ShangchartYarnaphat Shangchart1*Tanpat  KraiwanitTanpat Kraiwanit1*Saranchana  AsanprakitSaranchana Asanprakit1Rattawut  NivornusitRattawut Nivornusit2*
  • 1International College, Pathumthani University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
  • 2Digital Economy Program, Rangsit University, Pathum Thani, Thailand

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: The intersection of traditional spiritual beliefs and digital commerce is reshaping consumer behavior in Thailand. Muketing—a blend of Mutelu spirituality and modern marketing—has emerged as a distinct cultural-marketing phenomenon within the country's expanding faith economy. This study explores the emerging phenomenon of Muketing within Thailand's e-commerce sector. Methods: This study employed a qualitative research design using in-depth interviews with twelve Thai consumers who actively engage in online shopping through e-commerce platforms. Content analysis was conducted to identify key themes related to consumer attitudes, trust, engagement, and purchasing behaviors. Results: The findings reveal that Muketing enhances consumer attitudes through emotional and cultural relevance, fosters trust via perceived authenticity and spiritual alignment, and boosts engagement through interactive and symbolic content. Participants reported increased purchase intentions when products incorporated rituals, spiritual messaging, or symbolic imagery tied to traditional beliefs. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that Muketing influences purchasing behavior within the study’s sample by integrating local belief systems with modern marketing practices, thereby fostering culturally resonant consumer bonds. When practiced authentically and ethically, spiritual branding can generate meaningful commercial outcomes. Further research is needed to examine its underlying mechanisms and assess its broader applicability across diverse contexts and consumer groups.

Keywords: Muketing, e-commerce, attitudes, Trust, engagement, purchasing behavior

Received: 09 Jul 2025; Accepted: 01 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Limna, Shangchart, Kraiwanit, Asanprakit and Nivornusit. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Pongsakorn Limna, pongsakorn.l@ptu.ac.th
Yarnaphat Shangchart, yarnaphat.s@ptu.ac.th
Tanpat Kraiwanit, tanpat@ptu.ac.th
Rattawut Nivornusit, rattawut.n@rsu.ac.th

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.